


A Star Wars Carol

by Faith_the_Writer



Category: A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens, Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Timelines, Complete, Family, Fanfiction, Feels, Force Ghost Anakin Skywalker, Force Ghost Obi-Wan Kenobi, Force Ghost Yoda (Star Wars), Force Ghost(s), Force Visions, Gen, Ghosts, Humor, I fixed The Last Jedi, Inspired by A Christmas Carol, Life Day (Star Wars), NaNoWriMo, Parody, Star Wars: The Last Jedi Fix-It, Swordfighting, That's Not How The Force Works, The Force, Time Travel, but probably messed it up, light side cookies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-12
Updated: 2019-01-12
Packaged: 2019-10-08 16:26:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 18,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17389736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Faith_the_Writer/pseuds/Faith_the_Writer
Summary: Luke Skywalker is in exile on Ahch-To, and the Resistance is dying. One night, the Force ghosts of Life Day Past, Present, and Future visit Luke and give him insight into his friends' suffering.Luke has to decide whether or not he will come home to visit Leia for Life Day, and ultimately realizes whether or not he can truly redeem Kylo Ren.Featuring grumpy Jedi, Light Side cookies, and Leia using Force powers.





	1. STAVE I: Han's Ghost (part 1/2)

**Author's Note:**

> I was wondering what to write for National Novel Writing Month. One day, it just hit me. What if Luke Skywalker took the place of Scrooge? And that's where this story came from.  
> Hope you guys enjoy! :D

Sometimes, when the Force is with you, you learn things.

Some Force-sensitive beings can see into the future, and others can learn from the past. Most Force users can feel when their friends have died.

And now Han was dead.

When that flickering red blade struck through Han's torso, a tiny ripple flew through the Force. His wife had sensed it, and she knew that her husband was dead.

But Luke didn't sense it.

He had gone to bed when Han was alive, and when he woke up the next morning, Han was dead. Luke had made his breakfast like normal, he had drunk his green milk, and he had followed his routine as if nothing had happened. Even now, as he stood watching the waves crash, the world was the same as it had been for years. During his exile on the planet of Ahch-To, the rhythms and patterns ticked like clockwork, leaving no room for error or change. Luke had come to expect the same thing each day.

But then, he heard a rumble. His eyes snapped open. His shoulders went tense. He listened closely, and yes- engine sounds were growing louder. This wasn't normal... something had changed.

Who had found him? Was someone coming out of revenge to murder him? Luke scanned the atmosphere and spotted a shiny speck. And it was coming closer.

\--------------------------

It was not like Luke could run away. He was stuck on this island whether he liked it or not, and his wrecked X-wing wasn't going anywhere. He heard the ship land on the other side of the island, but he didn't particularly care who they were. They could be pirates, he reasoned, who only wanted to steal Jedi artifacts. But Luke had a strange feeling in his chest. A certain familiarity, something he couldn't pinpoint. He stood up and scanned the island below him, but saw no one. Then he felt eyes behind him.

And a familiar draw to where the person stood.

Luke turned slowly around and met the eyes of a girl. She was tall, freckled, and no older than twenty. She stretched out her hand, offering something to the Jedi. His shaky hands reached up to his hood and drew it away from his face. His jaw slacked in shock, and his eyes seemed to deceive him.

The girl held his lightsaber.

Buried emotions emerged in Luke's mind, and suppressed memories came flooding back. He knew that he couldn't take what she offered. When the girl approached, he hesitated- but with shaky hands, he grabbed the sword.

And he threw it over his shoulder.

He stormed off down the hill, and he heard the girl follow him from behind.

 --------------------------  

"Master Skywalker?" the girl yelled as she followed the Jedi down the mountain. "I'm Rey. Leia sent me to find you."

Luke ran away from the girl, his heart beating faster with every stride. No, this wasn't supposed to happen. This had never happened before.

A sudden roar from behind startled Luke. He turned around and came face to face with an angry Chewbacca, and his eyes filled with panic. "How did you find me?"

Rey walked up and she glared at the Jedi. "Long story. We'll tell you on the Falcon."

Luke glaredat her. His blood ran cold and his face turned an icy white. "The Falcon?" His eyes narrowed. "Where's Han?"

Rey's eyes dropped to the ground. "He was killed." She wrapped her arms around her shoulders. "By Kylo Ren."

The old Jedi flushed, and he stared down at his feet. His eyes turned into glass, and he drew heavy breaths as if short of oxygen.

Chewie looked at him and let out a questioning grumble.

With no response from Luke, Rey's eyes softened. "We need you to destroy the First Order," she said. "That's why Leia sent me here to bring you home. They will control all major systems within weeks if you don't stop them."

He scowled at her. He studied her face, so ignorant and pleading. He took a deep breath. "Do you think I can defeat the First Order all by myself because I'm a 'Jedi'?" He grimaced. "What did you think would happen here? Do you think I came to the most unfindable place in the galaxy for no reason?"

"I'm not leaving without you!" Rey said as he turned away from her.

The old Jedi walked up the hill, away from Chewy and the girl. He needed some time to think. His legs ached with every step, and his heart sank down like a weight, keeping him from going faster. There was nothing he could do now but keep moving and wait for Rey to leave.

"Master Skywalker?" Rey called, and she trotted up to him, panting. "Leia sent another message for you," she said. "Tomorrow, the Resistance is throwing a Life Day party. Leia wants you to come. She really wants to see you."

For a moment, Luke's heart beat faster with guilt. He missed his sister, and he wished that he could comfort her after Han's death. But he reminded himself again of the big picture, and of the things he had long since let go.

"Bah," he said, turning back to face Rey. "Life Day is a waste of time."

Her jaw dropped. "Waste of time? But you have friends there who want to see you. Leia has nothing left anymore. She sent me here to bring you back home."

"This is my home!" Luke growled.

Rey turned and stamped her foot. "Well, fine then! Just stay. A happy Life Day to you!"

"Happy Life Day?" the old hermit repeated, almost as a statement. "What right do you have to be happy? With everything that's going on in the galaxy? With billions of people suffering?"

"What right do you have to be sad?" she snapped. "What right do you have to be alone?"

He turned and started walking. "Go away."

By now, rain was starting to fall on his head. He reached for his hood and drew it up, then continued up the hill.

\------------------------—

No matter how far he walked, the sound of Rey's footsteps echoed behind him. The girl had followed him for hours, unwavering in her determination.

But the girl wasn't following him anymore.

Luke turned around with surprise. He finally spotted Rey. She was facing in the opposite direction, entranced on a foreign object. When the girl started walking, Luke immediately knew where she was going. He followed Rey down the hill and found her wandering up to the gnarled tree.

The girl was silent as she neared the entrance to the cave-like tunnel. She paused, taking in the twisted branches, then finally walked toward what lay inside. When she realized Luke had followed her, Rey turned around. "I know this place."

"It was built a thousand generations ago, to keep these." Luke crossed the room and picked up one of the leather-bound books, using a light grip to not damage the ancient pages. "The original Jedi texts. Just like me, they're the last of the Jedi religion."

Luke felt Rey's stare behind him. He whirled around to face her. "You've seen this place," he said. "Seen this island."

Rey looked around, eyes still wide in amazement. "In dreams."

He stared. "Why are you here, Rey?"

She met his gaze, mouth opened. Luke could see the fear in her eyes, the silent plea for help.

She said, "Something inside me, has always been here. And now it's awake. And I'm afraid. I need help."

"You need a teacher," he said. "But it's not going to be me. I can't teach you."

"Why not?" Rey said, a line appearing between her eyes.

"I will never train another generation of Jedi." Luke turned around and walked to the cave's entrance. "I came to this island to die."

He took off back down the hill, leaving Rey alone in the tree. But as he walked, he thought he saw something out of the corner of his eye... a faint blue glow. When he turned his head to look, it disappeared into the bushes.


	2. STAVE I: Han's Ghost (part 2/2)

By the time the sun set, Luke's stomach was starting to growl. With the catch of the day slung over his shoulder, he started the trek to his usual dinner-eating spot. It was a little valley in the side of the mountain with an overhanging ledge that acted like a cave, and it provided shelter for his campfire, which had long since faded into nothing.

Wind flooded into the cave and it sent chills down Luke's arms. He set the giant fish on the ground and began preparing for a fire.

He grabbed handfuls of dried grass and brush, which had been laying in the far corner of the cavern. After stacking them in a pile where the ashes of his old campfire had been, Luke looked to his left and right.

"Gotta do what you gotta do."

After glancing around again, Luke stretched his hands over the brush, and he gave it one or two jolts of Force-Lightning. The dried grass immediately caught fire.

Luke, satisfied, bent over to warm his hands. It may not have been the Jedi way, but it was the survival way.

He sat down on a log by the fire, and he put his head in his hands. This girl Rey was strange. She was strong in the Force, it seemed, but unfocused.

She reminded Luke of himself.

He sighed. Maybe Rey was right. Maybe it was time to go see Leia, to make things right. He missed her. But he couldn't face her, not after what he did to her family. Ben Solo was gone.

The flames of anger sparked in his mind as he thought about what Ben had done to him. He thought about the lives the boy had taken. He thought about Han Solo, and his mind burned with rage.

And through this rage of anger, Luke wondered if maybe, just maybe, Ben Solo wasn't really lost for good.

\--------------------------

By itself, there was nothing strange about the metal door to Luke's hut.

When he had first arrived on the island, he had salvaged that door from the destroyed ship. He had used the Force to lift the door out of the water and he had carried it to the stone building.

But as he approached his hut tonight, there was something different about the door. In the uppermost left corner, he saw a glowing face. Luke blinked again, but it was still there. There were two eyes, a nose, and a smirking mouth- but he knew that face. Han's. It almost glowed around the edges, but the face in the metal looked at Luke the way Han used to, something that Luke had not seen in a long time. Han's hair was almost as light as the whites of his eyes, which had that familiar sparkle to them. Han's mouth turned up to the left when he grinned.

But even as he looked at the face, it was almost as if his eyes deceived him altogether. He kept squinting, but no- he must've seen it wrong.

There was nothing there, only the thick, metal plate.

Luke breathed in a deep sigh, hoping that the danger was gone. He squeaked the door open and stepped inside just as the rain began to roar around him again. After closing the door, he took the hood off of his head and wrapped up tight in his robe. The sight of what looked like Han's face had rattled him. Luke knew that he was likely still processing Han's death, and he knew that this illusion was the result of overthinking. Still, it was a strange sight.

Sounds of the rain drummed on the stone above Luke. Little holes in the architecture caused droplets of rain to come splashing on his head, and streams of water ran in through the angled walls. In this minimal, egg-shaped dome, every breath he took reverberated back into his ears. He felt his way through the darkness until his foot hit the side of his small bed. He sat down. For years, nothing on this island had hurt him, and nothing new was going to threaten him now.

Raindrops started to drip from the ceiling, and they played a steady rhythm as they hit the ground.

Drip, Luke heard.

Drip.

Drip.

Then, Ding.

Ding.

Ding.

His eyes searched the room until he located the new sound, and he traced it to a wind chime that hung in the corner. Instead of the wind ringing the chimes, drops of water fell down and caused them to clash.

Luke sighed and laid on his back, resting his head on his hands. He stayed there for several minutes, listening to the chimes that dinged each time a drop of water hit them. The high-pitched sound almost seemed to get louder with time.

Before long, he started to drift to sleep. Seconds later, the sound startled him.

The chimes were ringing much louder than they had been. It reverberated in Luke's ears. And when he listened closer, he realized that the rain had stopped falling outside.

Luke turned his head, locked his eyes on the chimes, and sat up sideways in his bed when he realized that the chimes were glowing. Not only were they glowing, he realized, but a similar blue light also squeezed its way between the stones of his house and through the door.

His heart raced. Something was happening. He could sense a new presence around him- the presence of someone he had not seen in a long time.

"Well, look at you, kid."

Luke jumped at the sound. He turned to the side, only to meet the face of his old friend.

"Han?" Luke studied the ghost as it manifested before his eyes.

Han Solo wore his same white shirt and vest. He had the same crooked nose and smile, the same white hair. But Han was completely clear, glowing and blue.

"Is it really you?" Luke asked the ghost. "What are you?"

"What am I?" the ghost repeated. "I used to be Han Solo. That's who I was. But now, I think I'm a ghost."

Standing up from his bed, Luke approached Han. "Are you really there?" Luke reached out his arm, and his hand floated right through the ghost's chest. His face brightened. "You really are a ghost." His eyes met Han's. "Why are you here?"

Han's grin dropped into a more serious face. "I've been sent to find you." He folded his arms. "You still can't believe that I'm here, can you?"

"No, I know it's you," Luke said, "but it was only today that I learned you died."

Han smirked. "You think I'm dead?" He spread out his arms. "I'm right here, you know."

"Why are you here?"

"I'm supposed to give you a message." Han put his hands into his vest pockets. "Tonight, you're going to be haunted by three ghosts."

"What?" Luke's face widened. "Haunted?"

"That's right. At midnight, expect the first ghost to visit you. Without their visits and what they're going to teach you, you'll go down a dark path."

"A dark path?" Luke questioned. "What path?"

Han shrugged. "That's all I was supposed to tell you." His eyebrows scrunched down and he looked at the ground. "One more thing. Can I ask you a favor?"

Luke's gaze softened. "What is it?"

"When you see Leia..." Han said, and he paused. "Will you tell her that I love her, one more time?"

Luke's jaw hung open. His brain swirled with new information, but he knew that this would be the last time he would see his friend.

"I can't stay here much longer," the ghost said, but the side of his mouth curled up in a smile. "I'll be with all of you, you know. I'll always be a part of the team." Han winked to Luke and faded into blue wisps that carried away into the wind.

 

 

Han's ghost lingered in Luke's mind. It haunted his thoughts.

Luke longed to tell Leia about Han, to give her every detail about the ghost, to let her know that Han was okay now. But as he sat up in his bed leaning against the wall, he listened to the waves crash and the rain pour, and he tried to forget.

After a few minutes of waiting, he turned over, and he laid facing the wall. He guessed that it was nine o'clock, possibly ten. But he would stay up, no matter how heavy his eyelids got.

\---------------

"Hmm?" Luke grumbled, and he swatted the hand on his shoulder. He wondered how long he had been asleep. "What is it? Who's..."

"Hello there."


	3. STAVE II: The Ghost of Life Day Past (part 1/2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luke is haunted by the Force ghost of Life Day Past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've decided to rearrange my chapter release schedule. Now, instead of Saturdays, I'll be posting a new chapter twice a week. I'm aiming to post on Wednesdays and Saturdays, although the timing might be different. (Take today for an example.)
> 
> I'm also breaking up each chapter into bite-sized pieces so it's easier to read. I've divided Stave II into two parts. I'm posting the first part today and posting the second part Saturday.
> 
> Without further adieu, let's meet the ghost of Life Day Past!

 

Luke sat up straight in his bed, coming face to face with the glowing ghost of Obi-Wan Kenobi.

"Ben?" Luke whispered, holding back a yell.

"You have gotten old, my friend." Obi-Wan's wrinkly face shifted into a smile and his eyes twinkled with delight. "Now, do you see how I used to feel?"

Obi-Wan looked almost the same as he had many years ago as a Force ghost. He radiated with child-like joy, unlike how he used to always have a shadow of sadness in his eyes when Luke knew him. A radiant light cast out from the top of Obi-Wan's head and illuminated the whole stone building around them. Luke studied the white tunic draped over Obi-Wan's shoulders, so pure and white that he had a hard time looking at it. A green belt draped over the tunic, opalescent and shining as it caught the light, and in his hand, Obi-Wan held a branch of holly. The hem of his robe was embellished with intricate flowers, and he wore sandals on his feet.

But when Luke looked back up to Obi-Wan's face, he realized that these were not the strangest things about him. For when Luke held the ghost's gaze, the glowing face changed forms- one second he was old, wrinkled, and gray; the next second, young, with ginger hair and a clean-shaven face. The next second, he was old again, and the next, Obi-Wan was middle-aged with a graying red beard. Each form seemed to dissolve into the next, and Luke couldn't tell them apart as they shifted.

"Ben," Luke whispered, "what are you?"

Obi-Wan cracked a smile. "I am the Ghost of Life Day Past. Of your Life Day past."

"Are you the one Han said would haunt me?"

"Well," Obi-Wan said, clasping his hands, "if that is what you would like to call it."

Luke nodded. "Why are you here?"

"I am here to point you in the right direction." Obi-Wan put out his ghostly hand and patted Luke on the shoulder. "Come. I have much to show you."

Luke stood and, grabbing his cloak, followed Obi-Wan outside the hut. Once Obi-Wan had floated through the door, Luke opened it and stepped out of the building to find the ghost waiting. The wind caused Luke to shiver, and he pulled his cloak around him.

"Where we are going," Obi-Wan said, "you won't need your coat."

Obi-Wan beckoned Luke to walk ahead of him. Luke obliged, but after a few steps, he realized that Obi-Wan had led him to the side of a steep drop off.

Luke turned back to the ghost. "What do I do?"

"Why, keep walking."

Luke's mouth dropped open. "What do you mean? This is a cliff."

"No, it's not." Obi-Wan clasped his hands, nodding to the drop-off. "The Force is with you, Luke. Keep walking. There will be no cliff."

Luke looked down the cliff, then back at the ghost, then back at the cliff. Finally, he shifted his weight onto one leg and stuck the other foot over the drop-off. To his utter amazement, his foot struck solid ground.

His heart raced. Carefully, he shifted all of his weight onto the suspended foot, and took another step, and another, until he walked on the open air.

He looked behind him and saw Obi-Wan following.

"Keep going," the ghost said. "See what you find."

Luke took another step. All around him, the surroundings changed. With each step, the sky around him grew brighter, and when Luke looked down, he realized that he was walking on sand. Glaring, orange desert filled the landscape around him, and without question, Luke knew where he was. He was on Tatooine.

\--------------------------

Old memories flooded Luke as he studied the horizon. He remembered what the sand felt like on his feet, what the hot suns felt like on his face, and the familiar smell of nothing.

Wide-eyed, he turned back to Obi-Wan. "I'm on Tatooine," he laughed.

Obi-Wan floated up beside him. "You are very observant."

Luke scanned the wide expanse of desert, still in awe. "I was raised here. I grew up on this planet."

"You have many memories here," observed the ghost.

"Yes. I do."

Obi-Wan took a couple of steps forward. "Would you like to look around?"

"I guess so," Luke said. "In fact, I could walk to my old house from here."

He set off. He tried to go fast, but his feet slid into the sand with every step. He felt Obi-Wan follow him as he set out past the rocky formations and made the long trek through the sand.

"See?" he said, pointing to a small formation in the distance. "There's my house."

With each pace, the house came into focus through the waves of heat and dust. Before long, Luke and Obi-Wan arrived at the farm, where everything stood just as it had when Luke was a boy, before the Stormtroopers had destroyed it. Exactly the same, like Luke remembered it.

"Something's off," he said. "This house was destroyed. It shouldn't be here."

"We are in the past," Obi-Wan said behind him. When Luke turned, he continued, "we are visiting your long-ago Life Day, when you were but a boy."

Luke nodded and made his way to the front door.

"No one can see you, or touch you," Obi-Wan continued behind him. "You are invisible to the mortal eye."

After glancing at the ghost for reassurance, Luke opened the door and peeked down the stairs. When he didn't see anyone in the room below, he crept down the steps, taking his time to not slip on the dusty floor.

After found the last stair, he stepped out into the bright room. He was finally in his home, and it looked the same as he remembered it. A new sound came one of the rooms. Luke strained to hear it. Music.

A strummed instrument, and a woman's voice. He recognized the voice immediately- it was Aunt Beru's. And as he rounded the corner into the small kitchen, he spotted the instrument that Uncle Owen played.

With each step, the music grew louder. But when Luke walked down the stairs to the kitchen, he stopped in the doorway.

He saw himself sitting on the floor.

This version of Luke was no older than fifteen, and he sat in a far corner. The young, lanky boy wore nothing on his feet but tan socks, caked in sand. His gray pants were two inches too short, and his yellow tunic matched his messy hair. He held a small simulation game, which he locked onto, and twitched with every turn of the game.

"Luke," said his aunt, looking down onto the floor where the boy sat. "Get off of your game. Sing with us."

"Not now," the boy said, his voice high and crackly.

Aunt Beru turned around in her chair. "You can always play your game, but this is Life Day time! Will you pick a song for us to sing?"

Young Luke locked eyes with his Aunt, then resumed his game.

Uncle Owen stopped strumming. "Luke, it's only once a year. Listen to your aunt."

The boy stood up. "You guys are weird." He plodded outside into the courtyard, passing straight through his older self like a ghost. The old Jedi tried to follow his younger self out of the door, but once he walked through the corridor, his surroundings changed.

\--------------------------

Luke looked around, and he found himself standing in a ship.

Bright panels of light shone in his face, but the room itself was dark, and it took his eyes a second to adjust. Then he realized that he was standing in the middle of the Millennium Falcon.

He spotted a young Han in his off-white shirt and back vest, sitting beside Leia, with her long hair down and wearing a beige dress. They sat together on the long bench, Leia resting her head on Han's shoulder, and Han running his hand through her hair.

Luke stepped closer, studying them. Exhaustion covered their faces.

A noise startled Luke- behind him, footsteps clanked on the metal floors. He turned to behold yet another version of himself. This time, he was older, wearing black head to toe. And in his arms- Luke had to look twice to make sure- rested the mangled helmet of Darth Vader.

Young Luke walked across to the far side of the room and opened a compartment in the wall, in which he laid the helmet. Once he had closed the compartment, Luke walked across the room to sit beside Han and Leia.

"Long day, huh?" Luke kicked his feet up on the game table and laid his head back.

Han looked at Luke, but Leia seemed to be asleep on his shoulder. "Yeah. I'd say so."

"Where do we go from here?" Luke asked.

But this time, Leia was the one to speak. She lifted up her head and looked at her brother. "We can't waste any more time. Some new power is going to rise up, and we are going to make sure the Empire does not come back."

Young Luke looked down at the table. "How are we going to do that?"

Leia studied him. No one said anything, so she spoke. "My father remembered a time when the government was protected by the Jedi. He told me stories of how they kept the peace and fought for it in wartime." She studied Luke's surprised expression. "The Rebellion has fought for peace, but the war is not over. Once we have peace, we need to find a way to keep it."

"Maybe we'll have to think about that," Luke replied to Leia. "It's not like there's an army of Jedi, you know. I'm the last one."

Leia paused, and then said, "But what if you're the one who teaches the new Jedi?"

Luke's jaw slacked in surprise. "Well... I..." He paused, and he finally sighed. "I don't know, Leia. It's just, I'm not experienced. I couldn't be a teacher. I'd only let everyone down."

Leia sighed. "It's not like we have to decide today. Everyone's tired, and it's Life Day's Eve."

Han scoffed. "Life Day's Eve."

"You're right." Luke smiled, and he laid his head back in his hands. "We have all the time in the world."

And the ship disappeared from old Luke's eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for reading! Remember to bookmark this story if you enjoyed it. Have a great week, guys! :D


	4. STAVE II: The Ghost of Life Day Past (part 2/2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Force ghost of Life Day Past continues to show Luke visions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is one of my favorite chapters! I hope you guys enjoy. :)

When the Millennium Falcon disappeared in front of Luke, his surroundings changed once again.

He watched the ship transform into a house- a small, but comfortable house. There wasn't anybody in the room, so Luke looked around for a sign of someone until he heard a noise from another room. A high pitched sound.

Luke rounded a corner and located the noise- in a rocking chair, he saw Leia holding a black-haired baby who squealed with laughter. Even before Luke came close, he knew exactly who the baby was.

Ben Solo.

Luke stepped into the room. Golden light flooded in through the curtained windows, casting a warm glow on the neatly decorated sitting area. A pile of Life Day presents sat in the corner, wrapped in extravagant ribbons and bows.

As Luke approached the two, he studied Leia's smile as she held the baby.

The little black-haired boy grasped a small plush toy with one or two chubby fingers. When the toy slipped from his grasp and fell onto the floor, Ben let out a cry of frustration.

"Uh oh, Ben! Pick it up!" his mother cooed to him.

The baby smiled, and he reached his stubby arm out toward the floor. Within a couple of seconds, the toy started to float. It wobbled in the air until it reached his hand.

"Good job," Leia said, laughing, and smiled as she rocked Ben back and forth.

Luke Skywalker stroked his beard, and he grumbled. "Don't encourage it."

But, of course, Leia couldn't hear his words. She watched little Ben, focusing on the little boy who had become her whole world, her only care.

A sound behind him made Luke jump. A door closed, and footsteps echoed off the walls.

"Han?" Leia strained her neck behind her.

In walked her husband, with paper bags laid over his shoulders. "Hey, sweetie." Han kissed Leia on the forehead, and he looked down to the baby in her arms. "Hey, there's my smuggler in training."

Han walked through the room and into the kitchen, setting the bags on the countertop.

"Did you remember to get milk?" Leia yelled to Han.

He sighed. "No. Sorry, honey, I'll get it soon."

Leia scratched the back of her neck. "No problem," she said with a frown.

Han put away the groceries in the compact shelving area, then he walked back through the living room again, talking to Leia as he passed. "Seems the only thing I smuggle these days are groceries."

"You can't be serious." Leia's face turned sour.

"Serious!" he said. "I need some work!"

"Does work mean paying off more debts to Jabba or does work mean an actual job?"

Han turned around with an open-mouthed expression. "A job. Like a real job- but something exciting. I want to be the best pilot in the galaxy. I want to travel through hyperspace on a daily basis, to do new and exciting things!"

Leia gaped at him. "Han. We have been through- especially I have been through- so, so many battles, and you want to be in the way of danger for fun? What has gotten into your brain to make you say something like that?"

Han sighed, crossing his arms. "It's not something you would understand."

Leia huffed. "Try me."

"It's just... well..." Han scratched the back of his neck. "Can't quit the lifestyle you've always had, right? Well, I've had excitement all my life and I need excitement! When I owed debts to Jabba, I was on the edge of excitement all the time."

"If what you mean by excitement is getting your head shot off." Leia scratched her chin.

The baby in her lap held out his hands to Han.

"Well, hey!" Han said, reaching down to pick him up. "Looks like someone wants to go with his dad." Han picked up the baby, struggling to find the best way to hold the chubby boy. "Does Ben wanna go find something exciting to do with Papa?"

The baby held out his stubby fingers and grabbed Han's nose, and they both faded into thin air.

\--------------

Luke, having been so caught up in the scene, barely noticed when it started to change again. He watched the golden glow of the house turn into another outdoor setting, one where the grass grew tall between his feet and where he could feel the breeze blowing. The Force was strong in this place. Luke looked around the landscape until he saw the temple behind him, that cursed temple behind him.

"No," Luke said, turning to Obi-Wan beside him. "You've got to be kidding me, Ben."

Obi-Wan motioned ahead. The two gradually walked up the grassy hill to the temple, a dome-shaped building sitting in the middle of a field. As they walked, Luke noticed a ship overhead, arriving through the cloud-filled sky. As it approached, Luke realized that this wasn't just any ship, this was the Millennium Falcon.

And Luke knew why it was here.

"Can't you stop them?" Luke turned to his old master. "You know why they're here! Can't you see that this is a big mistake? You've got to let me warn them."

Obi-Wan watched Luke with calm eyes. "Patience," he said. "This is but a vision. You cannot change what has happened in the past."

Luke turned around as the Millennium Falcon landed near the building, and with one more look back at Obi-Wan, he started at a sprint. Step after step up the hill reminded Luke just how old he was, and of how much time he had lost.

Obi-Wan faded into view in front of Luke, blocking his path to the temple.

"Calm yourself!" Obi-Wan's eyes shot daggers at Luke- the first time, Luke realized, that he had even looked at him crossly or yelled at him. "Watch," he said, "and learn what you must do next."

Luke took in deep breaths, meeting Obi-Wan's stare. Then he walked around the ghost and up the hill to where the temple lay.

"Mom, I don't want to!"

Luke looked up the hill where Ben Solo stood, no taller than a meter.

"Momma," he whimpered, sobbing into his mother's side, "I don't wanna go."

On the top of the hill, standing at the temple door, was an aging Luke Skywalker. There was a touch of annoyance in his eyes. His brown goatee and beard sprinkled across his face. "Leia," he finally said, "are you sure this is the best thing to do?"

"You tell me," Leia said, looking up the hill to her brother. "It was your idea. Are you sure you can handle him?" Leia gave a smile, but her forehead crinkled between her eyes.

He shook his head. He walked down the hill toward the sobbing boy, and finally bent to a squat to tap Ben's shoulder.

The boy turned his head. "Hmm?"

"Listen, Ben," Luke said, teeth bared in an attempted smile. "You're the future of the Jedi Order. You are among the ones who will save the galaxy." He smiled even bigger. "Are you ready to learn about the Force?"

Ben turned away from his uncle and covered his face. Luke stood up, and he shot his sister a concerned look.

Leia sighed. She bent down to her son's level and brushed a lock of hair from his forehead. "We talked about this. You were given a wonderful gift, Ben." She wrapped her arms around her son. "You will always be my baby, no matter where in the galaxy you are."

"Don't leave," Ben said, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"I won't be gone forever, Ben." Leia looked up at Luke. "I'll be back to see you at..."

Luke mouthed to her, "Life Day."

"Next Life Day," Leia finished.

Ben backed away from his mother and pouted. "But Life Day is now. What about presents?"

Leia's mouth fell open, but she couldn't find the words she was searching for.

The young boy fell forward into his mother's arms, and he burst into sobs. "I want to see Papa."

His mother looked helplessly at him, and she brushed the top of his head. "You'll see your father when we come to visit you."

"But I don't want to go."

Leia rested her chin on his head and held the crying boy.

Back down the hill, old Luke ran his hands over his face. With red and strained eyes, he turned to Obi-Wan. "Why are you showing me this?"

The ghost ran his hand through his beard. "That is for you to decide, my old friend."

"So can I go home now?" Luke asked the ghost beside him.

Obi-Wan looked at him for one or two seconds before replying. "We have but one more vision, and then we shall."

\-------------

Once more again, Luke's surroundings changed. He now stood in a spherical boxed-in room that smelled like chemicals, and a blue shadow draped over everything in the metal closet. Among boxes and crates sat an older Leia, who huddled in the darkest corner of the closet. Her knees were drawn to her chest, and she sat between two crates with her shoulders moving up and down with silent tears.

Luke walked closer to his sister. Her hair was completely gray and draped over her shoulders, unbrushed. She rested her face against the wall and tears ran down her face.

"Leia," Luke whispered to the thin air. He kneeled on the floor next to her. "Why is she crying?"

Obi-Wan closed his eyes. "What do your feelings tell you?"

Luke stared at Obi-Wan, and the realization hit. "Ben Solo?"

The ghost folded his hands. "She has just lost him to the dark side."

Leia folded her arms around her legs, letting her chin rest on her knees. "Luke," she whispered, her voice hoarse from crying. "Help us."

Luke's eyes tensed, and his forehead wrinkled.

"Please," Leia said, and she sniffed. "I need my Ben back."

Luke reached out his hand and rested it on her shoulder. "I'm so sorry."

But she buried her face again. Luke watched her for several seconds, then turned to the ghost. "Ben, I can't watch her anymore. Take me home. I can't see her like this."

Obi-Wan stood still, feet still firmly planted on the ground. But Luke, looking up at his head, noticed that the light which flamed from it grew brighter, and even brighter, as Leia continued to cry. Luke realized that the light and his own conscience were connected.

"Ben," he said. "I can't do this anymore. Take me home, please."

But Obi-Wan stood still. Luke wondered whether if the light died, then the vision would be over.

He searched the room while the light continually grew brighter around them, and he found a blanket lying in the corner. "I'm sorry, Ben," he said. "Thanks for everything."

He threw the blanket over Obi-Wan's head, and the light extinguished. The room was gone, and so was Obi-Wan, the vision, and Leia.

Next thing Luke knew, he woke up under a cliff, lying face-up in the sand as salty ocean waves washed over him. Luke struggled to stay conscious, but he soon slipped off under the influence of sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please remember to leave a like so other readers can find this story!
> 
> Next Wednesday, we'll get to meet the Force ghost of Life Day present! I wonder who they will be.....


	5. STAVE III: The Ghost of Life Day Present (part 1/2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Force ghost of Life Day Present visits Luke.

Luke woke up in the middle of the night. He sat up on the beach and tried to remember where he was, then realized his cloak was dripping wet and covered in sand. As the ocean waves rolled in and drenched him in intervals of several seconds, Luke stared at the ground and sank into a trance of sleep deprivation.

But he soon felt a presence on the island, a presence that was long forgotten.

He stood up on the beach, his wet and sandy clothes causing him to stumble as he walked. Shivers went down his arms as he looked for a way back up to his hut.

After trudging back up to his house and exchanging his soaking clothes for new ones, Luke creaked the door back open and stepped out into the moonlight. He looked around, up and down the mountain, and saw nothing until he noticed a light coming from the top of the island in the temple.

The old man climbed the stone staircase, feeling the darkness creep under his skin. He wasn't scared- he knew that presence, and it grew stronger with every step. Finally, he came to the temple and marveled at the blue light that flooded through the door.

"Come in!" a voice said. "Missed you, I have!"

Luke looked up and beheld the ghost of Yoda. Taken aback, his mouth curled up in surprise. "Master Yoda?"'

"Me, it is! Yes!" Yoda laughed. "Much to learn, still have you. Show you things, I will, that you must know."

Yoda looked different- younger. His old wrinkles melted into a smooth, youthful face, and his green head was covered in short, brown hair. He wore a robe, which looked almost like a bathrobe, and was fluffy, green, and trimmed with white fur.

Luke looked around the room, which was now suddenly covered in vines that crawled up the expansive temple pillars and walls. Luke looked back up to his old master, who sat on a little hill- or more accurately, a little throne- made of Life Day food. Dressings, stacks of apple and pecan pies, roasted chickens, pots of Bantha stew, barrels of steaming vegetables, rolls of bread, and seasonal fruits from faraway planets- this mountain of food supported a little cushion at the top, on which the ghost of Yoda sat cross-legged.

"Much food you have." Master Yoda laughed to himself. "Eaten well on the island, you have."

Looking at the food made Luke hungry, but he still couldn't believe that Master Yoda was there. Luke walked around the big pile of plates and bowls to get a better look at Yoda, who sat thirty feet above the ground.

"I can't believe you're here," Luke said to his old master. "Is it really you?"

"Why do you doubt what you can see?" Yoda said. "Here, am I, to show you the way. The Ghost of Life Day Present, I am."

"It's good to see you, Master, but I don't want to do this again." Luke leaned against the rocky wall beside him and took a deep breath. "I'm old, and I'm tired, and I've done a lot of weird things this past day. Besides," he threw his arms in the air in disgust, "I have this girl that keeps bothering me, and I have to deal with her."

"Much potential, does Rey have," Yoda said. "Yes! But tonight," he pointed his cane down at Luke, "is about you." Yoda stood up and stepped carefully down the plates of food, creating a path down to where Luke stood. "Much trouble there is where we go."

Luke folded his arms. "And where is that?"

Still descending the stack of dishes, Yoda came eye to eye with Luke. "The sleeve of my robe, you must touch. Then, see the visions we shall."

The little green Jedi held out his arm, offering the sleeve of his robe. As soon as Luke touched it, their surroundings changed.

\-------------- 

Now, Luke and Yoda stood in a grassy plain, in the opening of a forest. Trees surrounded a small field, and in the middle of the field lay a shipyard.

Luke pointed. "Is that where you want me to go."

Yoda, who still appeared very young, grabbed his cane with both hands. "For yourself, look and see."

Luke walked through the grass, and fresh dew soaked into his boots with every step. The air was crisp and misty, and it seemed like the whole forest was draped with a curtain of dew. Birds sang overhead and insects chirped their songs.

By the time Luke reached the shipyard, he realized where he was. Beyond the aircraft was a hidden building in the side of a hill. This was a base. And all around the courtyard, workers and soldiers passed by each other, and mechanics tended to their ships.

When Luke finally found the base's main entrance, he opened the doors and stepped down inside the hideout. And he saw decorations.

Everywhere. Silver and red.

Above the door, workers were hanging up sparkling wreathes that were decorated with pine cones and berries. Streamers floated across the ceilings from wall to wall. Music sang in the air. The smell of cider wafted in from the other room.

And then Luke saw Leia.

She stood in a corner, leaning against the wall, hands clasped together, eyes watching with emotionless expression.

Luke walked closer to his sister and observed her face up close- her swollen eyes, her tensed lips. He turned to Yoda. "What year are we in?"

"Now, this is." Yoda said. "This year. During this Life Day."

Then Leia and the base faded away.

\-------------- 

When the Resistance Base disappeared, Luke found himself back on the planet of Ahch-To, standing on his island. The chilly air raised goosebumps on his arms, and he wrapped himself tighter in his cloak. Around him, waves crashed on the shores in a steady stream of white noise. The salty wind blew around him, and Luke was glad to be home, even if this was a vision.

He looked around and found himself standing high on the mountain, overlooking a ledge where Rey stood. The girl bent down to the ground, and pulled something from a sack. She stood up and ignited the lightsaber.

Her eyes filled with wonder, taking in its glory.

Rey swung the lightsaber around, first in smaller loops and then in wider swings. She fought flawlessly, using only moves that Jedi knew.

Luke watched as Rey performed complex steps which had taken him months to master. He watched as this girl from nowhere swung the blade with precision.

Who was she?

The old Jedi watched Rey for several minutes, and then the vision faded.

\--------------

The surroundings dematerialized, leaving Luke and Yoda standing in a black hallway. Artificial lighting striped across the ceilings, and the smell of sanitizer filled the air. Luke watches as official-looking people walked past him in the halls who wore buttoned-up uniforms, tall caps, and polished shoes. They held their heads level with the ground and walked in single or double file.

"Where are we?" Luke asked Yoda.

Yoda gave an amused "Hmm." There were new wrinkles around Yoda's eyes, and the hair on his head seemed to recede. "Come and see," the little Jedi finally said. He walked beside Luke and pointed down the hall with his cane.

As the two started walking, a loud noise stopped them in their tracks.

Luke's heart beat harder, because he knew that sound. He took off at a run. The slashing and whirring of a lightsaber grew louder and louder as he approached a room at the end of the hall, and he knew exactly who was swinging the sword.

After a brief hesitation, Luke walked in the room. In front of him with his back turned stood Kylo Ren.

The young boy was draped in black from head to toe, and his face was covered in a black mask. He held a red lightsaber in his hand and was swinging it over and over across a destroyed wall. The boy stopped and bent over for air.

"Master Yoda," Luke whispered, "that's not Ben. That's not the boy I knew."

"Changed, he had," said Yoda. "The Dark Side, he has embraced. Hmm."

Luke scratched his chin. "This was all my fault."

There was another noise, a series of beeps, this time across the room.

It came from a computer screen. Ben looked up, turned off his lightsaber, and finally walked to the blinking terminal. In an impossible combination of shouting and whispering, he raged, "What is it now?"

The boy pushed the blinking button on the holoprojector, and a blue image of Leia appeared.

"No! No!" Ben covered his head and walked in a circle. "Not now!"

"Hello, Ben." Leia stood in front of him, holding her hands behind her back. "This is your mother. You owe me an explanation."

"Go away." Ben pressed the 'off' button to the holoprojector, but Leia's image still hovered over the computer. "Why isn't this working?"

Ben ignited his lightsaber and sliced through the controls, but the hologram still wouldn't disappear.

"Ben Chewbacca Solo!" Leia said, putting her hands firmly on her hips. "I need to talk to you!"

"How is this piece of junk still working?" Ben's modulated voice shouted. He pointed to the holoprojector. "Are you doing this? Are you using the Force?"

"Ben!"

"Your son Ben is dead. You're talking to Kylo Ren." After he received no reaction from Leia, he continued, "How did your call get through? We have security measures here."

Ben walked away from the hologram, toward the door, while looking at Leia with disgust.

"I'm not talking to you anymore," he said.

To his surprise, Leia swiped her hand, and Ben's automatic door slid closed in front of him.

Ben's face stretched out in rage-filled surprise, and he stomped the ground. "WHAT TH-"

"Language!"

Ben growled. "Alright. Fine." He walked slowly, each step heavy, until he reached his mother, and he leaned his hands on the table. "What do you want to know?"

Leia put her hand over her eyes and shook her head. "Ben," she sighed, "it's Life Day time. I haven't seen you in years." She looked right into his helmet. "Come home."

Behind the mask, Kylo Ren's anger singed brighter. "No."

"What made you turn to the dark side?" Leia folded her arms. "What did Snoke say to you?"

Kylo tore off his mask, revealing a twisted, red face. "He told me the truth." Ben shook in anger. "He offered me something that I didn't have! He gave me something that no Jedi could offer!" Kylo snarled, and his eyes became fire. "He told me that the dark side has cookies."

Leia put her hands over her face and shook her head. "Ben," she whispered, her voice hoarse, then looked up at him. "The light side has cookies too."

Ben's anger subsided her a second. "No, they don't."

"Yes, they do. I'll show you." Leia's face relaxed a bit. "Come home, Ben. We're cooking a big Life Day dinner, and I'm cooking your favorite: bantha stew."

Ben paused. He looked at the floor and licked his lips. "With the carrots?"

Leia nodded. "Extra carrots."

"I'll think about it." Ben stepped back and folded his arms with a sullen look.

His mother nodded. "That's all I needed to hear." She pressed a button then folded her hands together. "Here's the coordinates that you'll need. I'm sending a small shuttle to pick you up, and they'll take you through hyperspace to where our base is."

Kylo stood silent.

Leia smiled. Her eyes filled with both joy and pain as she looked at her son. "Happy Life Day, Ben."

The hologram blinked out.

"The name's Kylo Ren," Ben whispered as her projection faded.

\-------------- 

Luke's surroundings once again faded, and were replaced with a more familiar environment. Luke was back on his island. It was nighttime. Rain poured down around him, but he and Master Yoda seemed to be unaffected by the downpour.

They stood in the enclave of stone houses. His whole surroundings were dark, except for one house which stood far off and was glowing from the inside.

Luke turned to Yoda. He realized that the little alien's face was older and that his hair was graying. Luke asked him, "What else am I supposed to learn here?"

"Two children here, there are." Yoda pointed with his cane to the glowing house. "Want," he said, "and Ignorance. They are there. Find them, you must."

Luke walked through the rain and rounded the corner to where the hut sat. There was a fire lit inside, and Rey sat by the fire talking to someone. Luke's heart raced as he walked closer, and he realized who she was talking to: Ben Solo.

"NO!" yelled Luke, reaching out his hand in an attempt to destroy the house. Nothing happened.

Luke stood fuming in the rain for several seconds, watching as Rey betrayed him, as she talked to that fallen boy.

Yoda walked up with his cane. "A lesson here to learn, there is." He waddled up to the two, who sat talking to each other. He pointed to Rey. "Ignorance, she is." He pointed to Ben. "And Want, the boy is."

He walked back to Luke, and rested his cane on the floor.

He sighed. "Beware them both, you must. Yes! But beware the girl more." The little Jedi looked at Rey. "Danger, her path leads down. Yes! Danger, unless she is guided to the light."

Luke's mouth hung open and he looked down at his old master. "Is there anything I can do about it?"

"Hmm," Yoda laughed. "Tell me, you should. Is there? Hee hee hee."

Luke's eyes landed on Ben. The boy looked almost longingly at Rey. Although unmodulated, his voice was deep. "Rey?" he asked. "Do you like cookies?"

Rey's eyebrows drew down over her eyes. "I don't know what those are."

Ben looked right into her eyes. "Leia is making them. She invited me to dinner. She said that the light side has cookies."

"The light side had..." Rey mused, but then she snapped her gaze back to Ben. "Wait. Did you just call your mother 'Leia'?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"You should respect her." Her eyes sunk down to the fire. "You know, I never had a mother."

Kylo looked down in thought. "Leia can kinda be your mom, too."

"Really? I can have your mum?" The girl looked up to him with eyes full of joy.

He scratched his chin. "Well, that would make things weird between us..."

Rey's eyes dropped to the floor, and she bit her lip. When she looked back up to him, she said, "Leia invited me to dinner, too. Maybe I'll see you there?"

"Sure," Ben smiled. "I'm almost there."

"I'm coming," Rey said, folding her arms. "But first I need to steal the sacred Jedi texts, which are one of a kind and irreplaceable. Then my schedule's open!" She beamed at Ben. "And I can't wait to try the Light Side cookies, whatever they are."

"Cool." Ben smiled in a trance of love. "Then it's a date."

Ben and Rey sat across from each other, emotionally tense. Finally, Rey's hand reached out toward Ben, and Ben took off his glove and reached his hand toward Rey- slowly, slowly, until their fingers finally touched. They looked up to each other until Luke's vision faded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed! The two children "Want" and "Ignorance" are based on Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol. (Dickens uses the children to represent society's abandonment of the poor, although I'm using the children to represent Rey and Ben themselves.)
> 
> As always, if you want to help this story find more readers, please remember to leave a like! I'll be back Saturday with part two.


	6. STAVE III: The Ghost of Life Day Present (part 2/2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What will Yoda show Luke?

Luke's surroundings changed, and he found himself at the Resistance Base. The compact underground room was decorated in red and silver, and the smell of Life Day feast wafted in from the kitchen.

A commotion at the entrance drew Luke's attention. People with guns rushed out of the base, and an officer rushed toward Leia, who stood at the window.

"General," the officer said, panting, "the transport is here with Ben Solo."

To the man's surprise, Leia paused and closed her eyes.

"General, are you alright?"

She opened her eyes again and looked at him. "Tell your men to gather around the ship. Watch out in case something happens."

"Yes, General. Right away."

As the officer ran off, Leia walked out into the shipyard. She saw the ship nearing the base, and she smiled. Her Ben was coming home at last.

She walked outside and watched. The transport finally landed in the middle of the shipyard, and its ramp lowered. A masked man appeared in its doorway. Leia recognized her son immediately.

The tall figure walked down the ramp and looked around with a wide stance and a hand on his lightsaber. "What's for dinner?"

Leia walked toward him and held out her hand, palm-up. "Lightsaber?"

Ben crossed his arms. "I don't think so."

"No lightsaber, no cookies." Her mouth twitched in a weak smile.

After a pause and uncertain mumbling among the Resistance soldiers, Kylo Ren unclipped the sword and set it in his mother's hand. He looked around him and studied the whole shipyard filled with rebels who were ready to fire at any sign of danger. As he walked, they nearby soldiers scampered away from the tall man, and to make a point, Kylo summoned one soldier's blaster to his hand and threw it over his shoulder.

Leia shook her head. She looked down at her son's lightsaber in her hand- the weapon that had killed her husband. "You're not getting this back any time soon."

 

 

Luke, with Yoda trailing behind on his cane, walked back into the dining hall. He followed his sister to the dinner table and took a seat on a chair to the side.

The room was dead silent. The tables surrounding Kylo Ren were completely barren. Each rebel seemed to stare at Kylo, but when he looked back, they averted their eyes and turned their heads.

Rey sat down next to Kylo Ren. Finn and Poe sat with Leia, across from the two, and avoided eye contact with everyone.

Ben drummed his fingers on the empty table, and he looked up at Rey. "So. How's your boyfriend?"

"Hmm?" Rey shot Kylo a confused look, then followed his gaze across the table to Finn. "Oh!" She threw her hands up and smiled at the sulking Kylo. "He's not my boyfriend."

Finn's mouth dropped. "Wha-?"

Kylo grumbled and frowned at the table. He finally glared across the table at Poe. "So, you're that pilot."

"I am that pilot." Poe nodded at Ben.

"You're... not what I expected." Kylo sniffed. "Shorter."

Leia gasped and put her hand in front of the pilot. "Don't insult my adopted son!"

"What?" Poe gaped at Ben. "After you became a disappointment, Leia had to find an alternative son to fill the empty spot in her heart."

Leia gave Poe a stern, through approving look. "You're both my sons, to me."

Kylo slammed his fists on the table. "So now he's on my level?"

Across the table, Rey rubbed her eyes and sighed. "I have a bad feeling about this."

But before long, C-3PO came shuffling down to the table with a tray full of bowls. He sat the tray down on the table.

"Master Leia," the droid said, "here is the Bantha stew that you made."

"Thank you, Threepio," Leia said as the droid shuffled back to the kitchen. She turned back to the table. "I hope this will be alright."

Leia passed the bowls of soup around the table, and they started eating. No one said anything.

Luke grew restless as he watched them eat, and wondered when he would get to see the next vision and when he would get to go home. He watched each expression around the table- Finn's confused face as he watched Rey, Poe's jealous gaze at Ban, Ben's occasional glances at the rogue stormtrooper, Rey's hurt looks at Ben, and Leia's eyes that stayed glued to the table.

Threepio out brought each course, and Leia passed them around the table. No one said hardly anything the whole time, despite Finn's efforts to make small talk, which were largely ignored.

"So," Finn said, again trying to start the conversation, "do we get dessert?"

When Leia looked him in the eye and nodded, Finn smiled and pumped his fist in excitement.

Before long, everyone heard Threepio's squeaky waddle approaching the table. "For our final course," the droid announced, "we will have a sampling of Light Side cookies."

Ben looked at his mother and smiled. When the droid sat the plate in front of him, he picked up a cookie and savored the rich aroma. "Mmm," he said, eyes closed, "reminds me of my home at the First Order." Ben leaned his head back and took a big bite from the warm cookie.

Leia smiled. She had finally won him over.

The whole table sat frozen in anticipation, watching Ben's expression as he chewed. No one dared to move. No one dared to make a sound. Tension increased by the second as Ben still chewed.

Then Ben's face turned dark. "You betrayed me!"

Leia frowned. "Ben, what's wro-"

"THIS HAS RAISINS!" Ben spat the bite out into his napkin and stood up from the table. He pointed at Leia and yelled, "Dark Side cookies are chocolate chip!" He spun on his heel and stomped back toward the building's exit. "I'm gonna tell Hux all about this."

Raising his hand, Ben summoned his lightsaber from the other room, caught it as it flew toward him, then stomped out the door. Leia got up behind him and tried to follow, but the boy raised his hand, causing the doorway to collapse behind him and block the sunlight.

"Ben!" Leia yelled and dropped to her knees. She bent over in tears, covered in darkness.

\--------------

Luke's surroundings melted away.

Now he stood on a white planet. He looked left and right, and spotted what looked like another base.

A large blast door stood on the edge of the rocky cliff, and in the distance, walkers stood in formation and TIE fighters swarmed overhead. The whole ground was streaked with red where it had been white, and blood-like red soil streaked the across the plain along with wrecked ski speeders. Stormtroopers marched in rows up to the destroyed door.

"Where are we?" Luke asked, looking down to Master Yoda beside him. "Is this a Resistance Base?"

Yoda said nothing. He was older now, as Luke had remembered him from long ago. His hair was gray and thin, his green face old and wrinkly like a paper sack, and he leaned on his cane for support.

With nothing from Yoda, Luke started walking. He followed the troops inside the door and beheld the chaos before him. Open fire rained in the cave while dozens fell as they ran for shelter. One soldier in shiny metal armor led the pack.

"Kill them all," she said. She pointed toward the back of the shelter. "There are caves back there. Find and kill them all. Leave no survivors."

\--------------

Before Luke could react, the white planet disappeared, and Luke was back in the temple on Ahch-To. The vines that climbed the sides of the building were dying, and the plates of food were gone.

"Master Yoda?" Luke asked when he noticed that the little Jedi struggled to stand with his cane.

"Stort, my time has grown," Yoda said. "Yes. Short! Nothing left to teach you, I have." He leaned on his cane drawing long, heavy breaths.

"When are the things you showed me going to happen?" Luke asked Yoda.

He sighed. "Already in progress, these visions are," Yoda said. "But always in motion, the future is. Never set in stone."

Luke nodded and looked down at the old master, who closed his eyes in meditation. Luke watched him stand there for a whole minute. He knew that Yoda was about to leave. "So," Luke finally said, "this is goodbye, then?"

The wrinkled sides of Yoda's mouth turned up in a smile. "Yes," he said, opening his eyes to look at Luke one more time. "For now, it is." The ghost let out a laugh and faded into the air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a slightly shorter chapter, but I hope you guys found this dinner interaction amusing. It was a fun scene to write (and especially the light side cookies!) We'll see how the story of the cookies will end...
> 
> As always, if you want to help other readers find this story, please remember to leave a vote on this chapter. It really helps me out! I hope you guys have a great week! :D


	7. STAVE IV: The Ghost of Life Day Yet to Come (part 1/2)

After Yoda left, Luke stood still in the Temple for several minutes. He thought about Master Yoda and about everything he had seen that night. But as he stood thinking, he did not expect to suddenly feel a new presence behind him, on the meditation ledge outside.

Luke was scared at first when he felt that presence. Bad feelings and suppressed memories started to fill his mind. His eyes scanned the dark room and caught a blue figure sitting outside, cross-legged and levitating, its back toward him.

Surely, Luke knew, surely, this was not who he thought it was. As he grew nearer, he observed the ghost- a man with wavy brown hair that reached almost to his shoulders. He was dressed in dark Jedi robes with his back turned, facing the ocean.

Luke stepped outside to where the ghost was. He drew nearer to the glowing figure and walked around him until he could see the ghost from the side- eyes closed, wind blowing in his long hair, hands resting on his knees as he meditated. Luke studied the strong features of his face, his sturdy chin, his low eyebrows- and the scar running through the left one.

Once again, Luke's mouth opened to say something, and no words escaped. He cleared his throat. "Father?"

The ghost kept his eyes closed, and Luke felt a strong draw to him as if the ghost was silently beckoning him to come. He rounded the ghost until he was able to get a good look at his face. After so many years, Luke felt sure that this ghost- this young man- was his father, Anakin Skywalker.

"Sit down," the ghost said, keeping his eyes closed. He reached out his gloved hand in invitation, pointing to the meditation stone.

Luke sat down on the stone beside the levitating ghost with his eyes still wide open in fear. He felt compelled to close his eyes after about thirty seconds of silence. But every few seconds, Luke opened his eyes again to make sure that the ghost was still there. And it always was.

Time passed by. Two minutes, five minutes, ten. Then the ghost of Anakin said, "Reach out with your feelings, Luke. Find the future. Find the time that is yet to come."

  --------------  

Luke closed his eyes, and this time, he concentrated, reaching out, until he found himself standing in a grassy field. But he realized that he wasn't imagining the scene- he actually was there, standing in the field with the ghost of Anakin Skywalker.

Luke looked at his hands in front of his face, and he stomped his foot on the soft ground. Yes! He was actually, really there. Finally, he turned to his father. "What are you going to show me?"

Anakin lifted his hooded head to reveal two beautiful steel blue eyes. "I am the Ghost of Life Day Yet to Come." With his hands clasped together under his long sleeves, Anakin walked- almost floated- across the plain, leading his son to where the Resistance Base stood.

Or used to stand.

Luke looked around and realized that the base had been long since destroyed. Where the trees had been knocked down, small seedlings were growing in their place.

"Is Leia alright?" Luke pleaded to the stern face of Anakin.

  --------------  

But the ghost simple waved his hand, and they were now standing in a large room. It was bigger than any aircraft hangar Luke had ever been in. One long wall looked out into space, and bright geometric lights lit up the ceiling's intricate design. The floor was the most amazing part- it was clear, like glass, giving Luke a view into the stare below his feet.

Luke looked around and realized that this was a throne room. And in each throne sat Kylo Ren and Rey.

Each intricately carved chair was situated thirty feet in the air, suspended on a platform. Rey's throne sat a few feet below Kylo's. Instead of dressing in her familiar tan colors, she dressed completely in black Sith robes from head to toe, with a hood concealing her features.

An official-looking man approached the thrones. "Supreme leader," the ginger man said, bowing one knee onto the ground. "Our intelligence picks up a trace of the rebels. They are on the planet Onquire. Just a few scattered troops and the last remaining ships."

"Get them," Kylo said, his voice turned deep through the mask. "Bring every last one of them before me. None will remain outside of my grasp."

"Yes, Supreme Leader," the ginger said, and nodding, stood up and walked away.

Kylo Ren leaned on his elbow and tilted his head. "And, Hux?"

The general turned around. "Yes, Supreme Lea-"

"Make sure everyone is captured."

Hux nodded, and took a shallow breath. "Right away."

As the man walked away, a tension sunk into the room. There was a long silence, except for the low rumble of the ship's engines.

Rey looked up at Kylo, allowing ambient blue light to shine onto her face. "Ben?" she said, her voice high-pitched and tight.

"What, Rey?" Kylo rested his hand on his hand, and looked away from her.

"Ben, I know you don't..." Rey put her hand on her mouth and looked down in thought. She breathed in a shallow breath. "I know you want to kill them, but just- could you please, if you see Finn..."

Kylo turned to Rey. "What?" he said, throwing his arms in front of him. "You want me to spare his life? After everything I've sacrificed for you?"

Rey's mouth trembled, and she laid her head in her folded arms.

"I risked my life for you!" Kylo yelled. "I made you second in command! You were nothing, and I made you something you could be proud of. And who is training you right now?"

Rey raised her head slightly, keeping her eyes fixed in front of her. "You are."

Kylo folded his arms. "So do you think, after all that, that I should go out of my way to sacrifice one life? Because you miss your boyfriend?"

The booming voice echoed back and forth in the big room, causing Rey to tremble in fear. She looked back up to Kylo with tears streaming down her face.

"Please," she whispered.

Kylo ignited his lightsaber. Rey jumped back in her chair as Kylo loomed over her. With their chairs up so high, there was no getting down unless Rey jumped.

"Do you think," Kylo started, "that I should let a weak-minded girl be my second in command?"

"No," Rey said, keeping her eyes on the flickering blade.

Kylo bared his teeth. "Who else do you think could teach you the Force, Rey? Who?" He lowered his voice and snarled. "Because I sure don't think Luke Skywalker can. I don't think there's anybody left for you but me. And if you want to train under me," he raised his voice again to a yell, "then I expect you to let go of your past! Kill it if you have to!"

  --------------  

Luke stepped back and tripped over a vine.

He looked around. The throne room was gone; now, he stood on a dark, cloudy planet. A red layer of smog covered everything in sight like a dirty blanket. He squinted and saw a light in the distance.

With the ghost following behind him, Luke set out to find it. As he walked through the smoke and fog, Luke stepped on a spiky plant and tripped over another one. A long jagged mountain rage came into view behind the fog, and before long, he reached a campfire. An X-wing sank into the ground, caked in dirt and obscured by the smog.

Around the fire, no more than eight or ten people stood by for warmth. A woman lay down asleep, and a man with dried mud caked on his pants legs leaned by a shivering blonde girl with a scar running across her face. A tall man with green hair stood alone under a tree fiddling with a blaster, and one man had his arm tied in a sling.

Luke heard a voice coming from the X-Wing. When he approached, he discovered a man sitting in the cockpit. The man had copper skin, dark hair, and a short beard.

"Hello, this is Poe Dameron," the man said, talking into the ship's radio. "These are the surviving Resistance Soldiers. We heard your signal. We are in desperate need of food from our allies."

He crossed his arms and waited.

"It's no use, guys," Poe said. He threw his hands in the air. "Even after they contacted us, I tried to respond, but we can't get a signal through to them."

"Do you think anyone's going to come?" someone asked.

No one said anything. Luke scanned their faces for a reaction. One rebel standing away from the group, a darker man dressed in a leather jacket, folded his arms, and said, "No."

Everyone turned and looked at him.

"We've been here a freaking year, Poe!" he said. "We don't have Leia anymore. We don't have Luke Skywalker. We don't have... anyone left."

There was silence. Then Poe held up his hand. "Hold up." He put the radio to his ear. He smiled. "I got something!' he finally said. "I picked up another transmission. They're going to provide us a transportation off this rock."

A sound in the air drew Luke's attention away from the pilot and into the sky. A cheer went up from the crowd as the sound of a ship grew louder and louder. But as Luke listened, he knew that this sound was too loud to be just any ship. He stood still and searched the Force to find who was there. He was immediately overwhelmed with hundreds of people.

Then, dozens of small ships came into view. Luke squinted. TIE fighters.

"Wait," Poe said. "This isn't a rescue." He jumped out of his ship. "Everybody, run! The First Order is here!"

They took off as a group and into the mountain, disappearing into a maze of trees and vines.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooooh, boy! We're just now getting to the good part. Get ready for some ***drama***
> 
> If you're still reading by now, I just want to say, thank you! I appreciate every single reader who takes the time to enjoy this story. I've spent hours on this project. xD
> 
> As always, remember to vote and leave a comment if you want more readers to find this story. Thanks guys! :D


	8. STAVE IV: The Ghost of Life Day Yet to Come (part 2/2)

Luke blinked. He was no longer on the strange planet; now, he was back in the throne room. Behind him, the big door slid to reveal a large formation of stormtroopers.

"Come forward," Kylo Ren said, stretching out his hand.

As the stormtroopers approached the throne, Luke realized that they were leading the group of rebels into the room. The troopers pushed blasters to the rebels' sides and clasped cold white hands on their shoulders.

Catching sight of a familiar face, Rey leaned forward in her chair and yelled with all of her might, "Finn!"

"Rey!" the man in the jacked yelled in response.

The girl turned to Kylo Ren above her. "That's Finn," she said, her eyes big with fear. "Release him! Please!" When Kylo Ren raised his chin and ignored her, Rey's face hardened. "Guard," she yelled below her, summoning one of the Praetorian guards. She looked at him and pointed to the group of rebels. "You see the man in the brown jacket?"

"Yes, my lady."

"Release him."

Kylo bent forward in his chair and calmly said, "Do not release him."

The soldier stood up straight and saluted. "Yes, Supreme Leader."

"No," Rey said, her voice deep and commanding. "I command you, soldier, to release that man."

Kylo cleared his throat. "You know," he growled under his breath, "I can command the Knights of Ren to execute you, and you would be no match against them."

Rey scanned the room, watching the eight men in crimson. She took a deep breath. By now, the line of stormtroopers had reached the thrones, and they stopped in formation. She looked down at Finn, and for the first time in a year, their eyes locked. Her eyes filled with silent tears. There was nothing she could do now.

In the head of the army, a stormtrooper in silver armor bowed before Kylo Ren. "Supreme Leader, your humble servant."

Kylo raised his chin to acknowledge the greeting. "Captain Phasma. Have you brought me the last spark of the Resistance?"

Phasma stood up. "Yes, my lord. They say that they are the very last ones, but we have no reason to believe them. Should we interrogate them?"

"Yes," said Kylo, "but first, there's one rebel who I order you to execute on the spot."

"At your command, my lord," Phasma said, holding up her staff which she expanded to reveal a blue electric blade.

Leaning forward onto the chair's armrest, Kylo rested his chin on his index finger. "Mmm-hmm," he said, searching the line of rebels. "Yeah... um, that one." He pointed straight at Finn.

Phasma turned her head and looked where Kylo Ren pointed. "The rogue stormtrooper?" she asked.

"NO!" Rey yelled, tears running down her cheeks as she leaned forward.

At the yell, Kylo Ren reached out with the Force and pinned Rey's hands to the side of her chair. Even though Rey struggled, she couldn't break free.

On the glass floor below, Phasma turned and walked down the line of rebels until she came to Finn. "I don't recall your number," she said, towering over him. "Let's see... FN-2187, I believe?"

Finn stood still, jaw set and eyes glaring at Phasma's helmet. A stormtrooper behind him forced him down onto his knees, and Finn watched helplessly as Phasma neared him, weapon posed and ready to kill.

"Wait!" Finn said.

Phasma paused, weapon lifted in the air.

"Can I just have a few last words?" Finn's eyes met those of the girl sitting on the throne. "Rey, can I say something one last time to you?"

Phasma looked up at the Supreme Leader, who gave a long nod.

"You have twenty seconds," Phasma ordered the rebel at her feet. "One, two, three..."

Finn looked right into Rey's eyes. "Rey, had I never met you, I wouldn't be the same man I am today." He looked down at the floor and broke into tears. "You're the best person I've ever met, and even when I'm gone, please forgive yourself for anything that happened. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me. That's all I have to say."

"Eighteen, nineteen, twenty." Phasma lifted her weapon into the air and brought it down toward Finn.

But it hovered above his head.

"STOP!" Rey yelled, and a thunderous force blew the soldiers and rebels off their feet. In the chaos, Kylo Ren's hold on Rey was released. She jumped down from her seat and ignited her two red lightsabers.

Kylo Ren pointed. "Knights, stop her!"

Rey looked around as the red-clad guards ran toward her. No doubt, she would be blocked.

"Finn, Run!" she said, and she looked at him one last time. Rey jumped in the air, back-flipping above the guards, and landed in front of the throne. She couldn't outlast them long. As she blocked one guard's sword, she looked over her shoulder to see Finn, along with the rest of the rebels, surrounded by soldiers.

Behind her, Kylo Ren thundered, "Kill that traitor stormtrooper!"

But Rey made a run for it. She ducked under a sword, dodged a swing from another blade, and slid to where Finn stood. She drew her sword in front of him. "Stand down, Phasma."

Phasma held up her blade. "By the order of the Supreme Leader, this man must die."

The metallic stormtrooper swung at Rey; Rey blocked the weapon and kicked Phasma in her hard torso. Rey whipped one side of her blade around, but Phasma caught it and pushed the sword to Rey's face.

Rey screamed. She put a hand to the wound on her forehead, but she soon growled and made another attack at Phasma. Before long, Rey realized that the Praetorian guards were surrounding her on all sides, and had all pulled their weapons at her.

"Drop your weapons," they commanded.

Rey glanced at Finn and at the guards standing around, but she knew she couldn't take them out. She turned off her lightsabers. Then, on a sudden instinct, she bared her teeth and reached out her right hand toward Kylo Ren.

The guards looked back at the Supreme Leader as he started choking.

Kylo Ren clawed at his neck, gurgling and reaching for air. His eyes turned dark and he stretched out his fist to Rey.

The girl's feet started to float off the ground. She dropped her lightsabers, her eyes wide and straining to draw a breath.

"Enough!" One guard reached out his blade and sliced off Rey's outstretched hand.

Kylo Ren was immediately released, but Rey dropped onto her knees and cradled her severed arm, whimpering in pain between short breaths.

"Stand down," the guard commanded, and he reached down to pick up Rey's dropped weapons.

"No," Rey pleaded and watched the guard walk off with her swords. She still sat on her knees and panted for air.

From his thone, Kylo Ren shouted, "It's time to choose. You can either choose to be executed with your friends, or you can kill your boyfriend and come rule the galaxy with me! I don't know about you, but to me, one of those choices sounds better than the other."

Rey bared her teeth at Kylo. "Kill me, then!"

His face dropped. "I guess you leave me no choice."

Kylo Ren's chair lowered to the ground, and he stood up onto the slick glass floor. The stars below him cast white light onto his face. Ben strutted through the line of Stormtroopers and guards until he reached Rey kneeling on the ground before him.

He ignited his lightsaber.

"No!" Finn yelled but was restrained by a stormtrooper.

Kylo stood above the crying girl, and he looked at her down his nose with a somber frown. "I loved you, Rey," he said. "I did. And I still do."

Rey shook her head. "You really are a monster."

"Am I?" He shook his head. "Or is it you?"

And Luke looked away just as Kylo Ren brought down his blade upon Rey's head.

\--------------

When Luke opened his eyes, he was on the island, standing in the middle of the dark temple.

Anakin stood behind him. He met the gaze of his father and said, "Finally. Are we done? I can't take this anymore."

"Your journey is not over, Luke," said the ghost. "Find your hut."

Luke looked down the mountain. Tonight, it was pouring with rain, and water drops puddled on the muddy stone steps. After walking to the temple's entrance, he started his descent from the Temple to where his brick hut lay. His foot hit one tilted rock and he lost his balance, causing him to fall over. He caught himself on the muddy ground and panted, "I'm too old for this."

As he stood up, a strike of thunder sounded behind him. He corrected his balance and set out on his path again, holding his arms out to steady himself, and placing each foot solidly on the stone steps.

Behind him, Anakin walked- almost floated- down the mountain. "Do you know why the Jedi Council was corrupt?" the ghost asked.

As Luke walked, he turned and looked into the eyes of his father. "No. I don't."

Anakin took a deep breath. "Yoda never told you?" After a pause, he explained, "They thought they could do everything. They thought they had a grip of control, but the whole time, they were being played. They thought they could take something of darkness and make it light."

Luke looked back and kept his eyes on the ground ahead. "I... didn't know that."

Anakin continued, "Do you know why I turned, Luke? Do you know why I became Darth Vader?"

Luke's heart jumped at the mention of that name. He looked at Anakin and shook his head.

"I was afraid of losing what I was scared to have."

Luke studied his father's face, searching for more of an explanation.

The ghost's eyes turned to the ground. "Why don't you see what you find at the end of these steps?"

Scanning the dark mountainside, Luke took one careful step at a time. He reached the flat plane where his house sat in its usual place, lit from the inside with the glow of a fire.

"Strange," Luke said. "I didn't light a fire in my house this evening."

He crept closer in the rain and rounded the house until he realized that the door was open. And right inside the house, he caught a glimpse of a person laying in his bed, lit by torchlight.

"Who's in my hut?" Luke asked.

Then Luke realized- it was himself.

He turned to Anakin. "Is this another vision?"

The ghost tilted his chin down and looked intently at his hands.

Luke walked carefully up to the hut and watched the reflection of himself laying on his bed. He stopped in the door and studied the man. He looked so old now, so pale, and sick, and...

"I'm dead!"

He spun around to where Anakin stood hands folded, eyes closed.

"What have you done?" Luke yelled above the crash of rain. "What is this? What happened?"

His father opened his eyes. He said nothing.

Luke turned around and looked closer at the white corpse. He walked across the room and bent over his own dead body. A cut- distinctly a lightsaber slash- stretched from his chin to his left shoulder.

He put the pieces together in his mind.

Ben Solo.

Luke resisted the urge to gag at the sight. He turned back toward the door and pushed his way around the ghost. In his mind, he couldn't bear to see his own body lying dead anymore- there was something unnerving on a whole new level. As Luke stood in the rain, trembling from fear, he looked at Anakin.

"You let Ben Solo fall!" Luke growled. "You were the one that he looked up to. He did all of this because of your Empire! Because of Vader!"

Anakin closed his eyes with his hands folded as he had done before.

"I'm not going back," Luke said. "I am done here. I'll take my death because that's what I deserve. Leave me alone on this island."

Anakin opened his eyes and looked directly at Luke- directly into his mind. He stepped forward and put his glowing hand on his son's forehead. "Watch."

Visions flashed in Luke's head- so, so real. So troubling.

He watched as Phasma executed Finn.

He watched as the Millennium Falcon exploded midair.

Luke was transported to a mining planet, where a line of slaves was being driven by stormtroopers. They shocked them if they got out of line. One old woman fell to her knees, and when she was unable to stand up, she was shot with a blaster.

Now, Luke stood by the helpless figure of an old and frail Togruta dressed in white robes. She fell on her knees before Kylo Ren, waiting to be executed by the crossing red blades.

Luke now stood on cracked, white soil, where red dirt was been recently turned up in a rectangular shape, like a newly dug grave. Luke dropped onto the ground and used the force to search for the person buried in the ground. Luke focused- it was someone that he knew well. His chest tightened. It was...

"Leia!" Luke collapsed onto the ground and gasped for air, covering his eyes. Her presence was so strong, yet so empty. Her spark was out.

This was all his fault. This was because of his ignorance.

 

Luke looked up from his hands, expecting to see the white planet surrounding him. But this time, Luke was sitting on the meditation stone, looking out over the crashing waves of Ahch-To.

He looked around for the ghost of his father, but it was gone. Luke wiped his face to find that it was covered in tears. How long he had been here, he didn't know. But he knew he wasn't in the vision anymore. It felt like waking up from a very real dream to realize that all of it was in his head after all.

But Luke knew that the visions were real. Each ghost was so different, and they were all showing him the same thing, after all.

And he still didn't know what to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! We only got two scenes today, but those were some powerful lines to write. First, we got to see Rey and Phasma dual it out. I thought Finn's final words to Rey were really sweet. Also, I chose to give Rey two red lightsabers since most people like to portray dark-sided Rey with a double-bladed lightsaber. I just thought it was cool for a change.
> 
> The scene between Luke and Anakin went through a lot of changes. I realize that canonically, Luke knows why the Jedi Order was corrupt, but I wanted Anakin to explain this to Luke.
> 
> Hope you guys enjoyed! ;) If you did, please vote for this story. It really helps me to find readers! I appreciate every one of you guys.
> 
> Until next week...........


	9. STAVE V: The End of It (part 1/2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Final destinies are determined, and fates lay in the balance.

Luke struggled to climb down the mountain. The ache in his legs and back was unexplainable, and his eyes threatened to close from lack of sleep, but he had somewhere to go. He couldn't rest now.

He trotted down the stone steps, keeping up as fast of a pace as he could in the dark and rain. The sudden change in weather had left him unprepared for a cloak, but Luke had to get where he needed to go fast. He had to catch Rey.

The Millennium Falcon was still parked on the edge of the island, many strides away from him. But Luke saw that the ship was lit from the inside, and he heard the engine running. He knew Rey was about to leave. His heart raced. Faster and yet faster he ran toward the ship, waving his hands, rain dripping down his face and beard.

"Rey!" he yelled. He stumbled on one step, but regained his balance and kept running. "Chewie!"

The ship lifted up off the ground, its blue lights blinding Luke in the darkness as it spun around.

Finally, Luke paused. He refocused his mind, and realized what to do.

He reached out his hand and summoned his lightsaber.

\-----------------------

In the Millennium Falcon, Rey sat in the pilot's seat. Her mind turned over and over, replaying her and Ben Solo's conversation in the hut. How they had touched hands- she smiled- it was so romantic!

She turned to Chewbacca in the co-pilot's chair beside her. "I tried to get Master Skywalker to come with me, Chewie. You know, I think he really wanted to."

"Bwragghhh."

"Yeah, I know," she sighed and flipped a switch on the panel. "It's a shame. Leia really misses him."

There was a new silence until Rey heard a faint 'clinking' sound behind her. There was a strange... pull. She looked into her bag onto the floor to see her lightsaber twitching and rattling until it finally flew out of the bag and into the air. It bumped into the Falcon's front window, struggling to find its way out, but was blocked by the glass.

Rey stood up in her seat and looked out the window, down at the island. She spotted Luke Skywalker standing on the beach with his metal hand outstretched to the ship, summoning his saber. The girl smiled and sat back into her seat. She landed the Falcon back onto the island and let down the ramp.

Rey came running outside, face lit up in a smile and eyes aglow with joy. She didn't have to say anything, because the lightsaber flew into Luke's hand with a 'clink', and the old Jedi boarded the Falcon's ramp. His face was somber but resolute.

He marched around into the cockpit and took the pilot's seat. Rey ran behind him and sat down in the chair behind Chewie.

Luke smiled. "We're going home."

\-----------------------

The Millennium Falcon emerged out of hyperspace onto a green planet, which Luke immediately recognized from his visions. He piloted the ship over lakes, rivers, and treetops until he came upon the Rebel base, nestled in an open plane.

Luke closed his eyes for a second. His sister's presence was strong here. It felt like a breath of fresh air, like a drink of cold water after a day on Tatooine. In the back of his mind, he knew that this would be the hardest hello he would ever have to say.

When they reached the base, he dropped the ship down onto the landing platform. He stretched his neck to get a view and saw crowds of people racing up to the Falcon. Had the whole Resistance base come to see him? The legend, Luke Skywalker. The old man sighed. He wasn't in the mood to be a legend anymore.

Every second walking toward the ramp was torture. Luke's footsteps echoed on the metal flooring, filling the silence with a steady beating drum. Every moment brought him closer to the encounter. Behind him, Rey and Chewie stood lingering, giving him room. It was now or never, and never wasn't an option. Luke drew his hood and punched the button to let down the ramp. Steam shot up from the ground as the Falcon's ramp descended, and sunlight flooded the ship.

Luke's eyes met those of his sister.

"Luke..." Leia said, hesitating to move.

After a second of shock, he descended the ship's ramp, hands folded in front of him, watching Leia's face. She leaned forward and surrounded him in a hug. He silently wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

The old Jedi sighed. "I'm so sorry, Leia. I... I failed you. I failed Ben, and..."

"It's okay," she said, stepping away and looking directly at him. "What happened has already been done. It's okay."

Luke's forehead creased. He looked down and sighed. "Are you sure you'll have me back?"

"Have you back?" Leia smiled sadly. "We need you, Luke. The First Order is too big for us to..."

"No."

Leia's face widened in shock. "No?"

He shook his head. "I can't destroy the First Order."

"But you're our only hope!" his sister stretched out her palm, pointing to the dozens of people surrounding the Falcon, watching. "These Rebels are counting on you!"

"I can't destroy the First Order on my own." Luke pointed up to the sky where a ship was starting to come into view. "But I can try to help Ben."

All heads turned to the sky, and soldiers rushed out of the base, ready to receive the incoming shuttle.

"Surround the ship," Leia commanded the officer beside her. "But tell your men to hold their fire."

The looming transport drew closer, and closer still. Luke observed the sleek, black design of the ship, and he felt the presence of Ben Solo.

"He's in there," Leia said, looking down at Luke.

He met her gaze. "I know."

When the shuttle finally landed, Resistance soldiers flooded out of the ramp and surrounded it with their weapons drawn.

The ramp descended, then Kylo Ren emerged.

The boy scanned the area from under his mask, and his eyes locked on Luke Skywalker. "We meet again," he said, his voice warped by the modulator.

Luke clasped his hands and walked across the platform toward the boy. His eyebrows tensed and he searched the boy for a sign of what he would do. When Kylo Ren pulled out his lightsaber and ignited it, Luke put his hands out in defense.

"I'm not here to hurt you," he said, backing away from the red blade. "I've done that already. And it's not going to happen again."

Kylo walked toward the group of Rebels and twirled his saber in his right hand. "This fight is over! We have already won."

Luke backed up several steps from the crowd, luring Ben away from the base. The boy bared his teeth behind his mask, Force-jumping toward the Jedi, and aimed a slash at his head.

Luke lifted his hand and caught the sword mid-air. Ben kicked him in the stomach. The blow sent the old man stumbling back, but he regained balance.

"I did something to you that will never be okay, Ben." Luke bent over and panted. "I won't harm you, even if you kill me. I'm not going to hurt you again."

"It's time for you to die!" Ben yelled. The boy sprinted and lunged for his head.

He ignited his lightsaber and blocked the blow.

The boy growled and took another swing, and then another. Kylo Ren made chopping motions, ruthless anger and rage deciding his every swing.

Luke blocked each stroke with quick precision. He backed away from the base's shipyard until the two were standing on grass. Over Ben's shoulder, Luke watched the Resistance soldiers standing and ready to fire on command. He knew this wasn't going to end well.

He met Rey's eye. She stood several paces away from the others, hiding behind the ship with Leia, eyes wide with fear. He wanted to tell her to stay away from the fight, but Ben's swinging blade kept his attention.

Kylo Ren stepped back, refocusing himself. He almost looked tired.

"What did you think was going to happen?" the boy asked. He tore his mask off, revealing a face full of anger. His forehead shone with beads of sweat. "Did you think you could redeem me?"

"I..." Luke sighed, and he brought up his sword to defend another stroke. He clenched his teeth as the swords met with sparks. "I want to stop this now before it's too late. Come back to the light, Ben!"

"I only serve the dark!" Ben snarled and brought his knee to Luke's side. He backed away and held his sword between them. "I have true power."

Luke panted and leaned on his knee. "But it was Snoke that twisted your head!"

"I found a greater purpose. I serve the Supreme Leader himself. And I lead the Knights of Ren."

Luke's eyes narrowed. "What are the 'Knights of Ren,' exactly?"

Kylo assumed a threatening stance. "I took the younglings from that cursed Jedi temple. I made them into something new, something powerful."

"But they're still a bunch of eight-year-olds?" Luke shook his head. "What do they even do?"

Ben coughed. "Doesn't matter." He narrowed his eyes and his nostrils flared. With a yell, he lunged at Luke.

The old Jedi caught the red sword. As the blades locked, he looked into Ben's face, reflecting the red and blue light.

"You're afraid," Luke said. The boy's eyes narrowed in response and he bared his teeth.

After ducking around the saber, Ben's eye caught a person approaching the two. It was Rey. Her steady footsteps padded on the hard ground, and her coat blew in the wind behind her.

Ben looked up at her. "Don't come near me!" he yelled. "I don't want to hurt you."

Rey stopped walking. "Ben," she yelled from afar, "Can't we just have a good Life Day together? Your mother wants to see you."

"Go away!" Kylo growled at her. Her statement had caught him off guard, but Ben refocused and took another strike at Luke. "I'm going to destroy you," he hissed at the old man. "You'll pay!"

Kylo Ren attacked at full intensity. His anger grew in his chest, and the hairs stood up on the back of his neck. Each stroke more powerful, he charged at Luke, backing the Jedi toward the woods. Each red strike grew more intense as Ben's emotions bled into his sword. He spotted an opening, and he swung at Luke's leg.

Luke yelled. He fell onto the hard ground behind him and scampered back into the dirt as Ben's lightsaber hovered over his body, giving off heat onto his chest and neck.

"Don't hurt me!" he said, cowering away from the sword. The pain drew his hand to his severed left leg where the ankle had been cut to the bone. The open wound was cauterized from the lightsaber but caused him to shiver in pain. Even Rey's screams seemed to come from a mile away.

"Too old to be a match for me." Kylo's mouth twitched in a smile. "I expected more from you."

"I'm sorry, Ben," Luke said. "I couldn't save you."

Ben disregarded the statement. He reached his left hand out and summoned the Jedi lightsaber, and hooked it on his belt. With the other hand, he held his own sword over Luke. When Kylo turned and looked at Rey, he saw the face of a terrified, grieving girl.

"Join me," he said to her. "Together, we can destroy Snoke. You can rule by me when I become Supreme Leader."

"Don't," Luke growled. "It's a trap!"

Rey looked Ben in the eyes. "You're a fool." She bared her teeth and stared Ben directly in the eyes. "Your parents cared for you, and you gave up everything they gave you. I would've given everything to have a father and mother who were there for me."

"Who says they were there for me?" Kylo Ren took a step toward the girl. "I lost everything the day I was sent to be trained. I was alone, just like you.

Rey glared at him, and she said nothing.

His face softened. "You don't have to be alone, Rey. Come with me. Forget Leia. Forget Skywalker. Let go of the past." He reached his palm out to Rey. "I care for you. Come rule the galaxy at my side."

The girl's eyes went blank and her mouth tightened. "Why?"

"I can give you something that you've never had before. I saw your parents."

Rey's eyes went bright. "What? Who are they? Are they alive?"

Kylo smiled. "I'll tell you. And we can rule together. I'll give you every star in the sky. Whatever you want will be at your fingertips." He walked up to her and held out Luke's lightsaber. "All you have to do is finish the job."

Bending to look around Ben's shoulder, Rey saw Luke's horrified face. The shaking man sat on his elbows at the edge of the forest, his face dripping with sweat.

Rey looked back into Ben's eyes. Rey breathed a long breath and swallowed.

"Okay."

She took the saber and walked toward Luke.

The old Jedi became suddenly awake, and he tried to stand up. He twisted around until he stood on his knees, and he held out a hand to Rey.

"Rey!", his voice cut deep into the air, "No!"

As the girl kept walking, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath through her nose. She finally reached Luke Skywalker, and she ignited the blue blade. She looked deep into the glowing beam and then back down at Luke.

Luke pleaded, "Rey, don't!"

Then, the girl's eyes met the Jedi's. He suddenly understood.

Rey turned and plunged toward Kylo Ren. He caught the sword with his, and he sent it back at her.

"You'll die!" His face turned scarlet with rage. He caught each of her novice strikes and sent her back with a Force push.

Rey caught herself on her feet, and ran back at Kylo Ren, clashing swords with him. "You are running an uphill race," she said, panting. "The Resistance is stronger than you! Even if I die, you'll never win."

Luke watched in horror as the two fought just meters in front of him. Rey was struggling to defend every blow, while Ben obviously held back his full strength. Still, this fight wasn't going to last long if he didn't intervene.

He struggled up onto one knee, clenching his teeth in pain. "Rey!" he yelled. "Focus! I'm... I'm coming." With all of his effort, Luke shifted his weight onto his good foot and reached out with the Force to keep himself standing up.

Across the grassy plain, Kylo Ren raged with anger, slashing and slashing at Rey, but never trying to hurt her. He waited for her strength to wear down and watched as she panted and charged again each time. The boy easily blocked her saber and sent her back running.

"We have a bond that no one else can touch," Kylo said. "No one else can know the intimacy that our minds have shared. Remember when we touched hands?"

Rey caught the red blade. She panted and she stumbled backward.

"The bond that we share will make us the strongest people to ever rule the galaxy. Join me, Rey, and we can take power back into our hands. Snoke will die!"

Luke hobbled on one foot while stretching his hands out for balance. "Leave her alone, Ben!"

The boy scoffed. "What are you going to do? Kill me?"

The thought of Force-choking Kylo Ren went through Luke's mind, but he hung his head in shame.

"No," Luke said. He held out his hand to Kylo Ren and stretched out with the Force.

Kylo Ren's lightsaber turned off, and he stood frozen. He tried to yell, but he could only thrash his limbs around in protest. Luke hobbled on one foot to Kylo. He ignited his saber and held it to Kylo's face.

He growled, "Leave now." He dropped his hand, letting the boy free.

The boy regained his balance and met Luke's blue saber with his own. The two stared each other down, teeth bared and breathing heavy, until a hit on the side made Kylo Ren hit the ground with a thud. He craned his head to see Rey holding her wooden staff above his head.

Ben growled. "You'll regret that!" he said and pushed himself back onto his feet.

Rey tried to jab him with her staff, but Ben turned and cut the wooden stick in half, and the bottom half fell to the ground.

Next, Kylo Ren turned to Luke and attacked. He swung his sword to the right and left, slicing and slashing until Luke fell back onto his knees, exhausted.

Kylo grinned. "The apprentice has destroyed the master. I pity you."

He held the sword to Luke's throat, ignoring his mother's screams from behind him. He had finally won. He just had to take the final stroke.

Luke's head turned to the side. Ben felt his gaze turn, too, attracted to a sudden shift in the Force.

It came from where Rey stood.

She planted herself on the grass with her eyes closed and arms outstretched. The ground shook, causing rocks and heaps of terrain to levitate in the air around her.

Ben's eyes widened at the sheer power the girl possessed- she really could be his match if she were trained.

"Kylo," Rey said, opening her eyes and staring dead into his, "your time is up."

"I am too strong for you," Ben yelled, but his heart raced as he watched rocks fill the open sky for meters around. Speckled shadows danced over the grass and completely blocked the sun from Ben's sight. "You can't destroy me!"

"We'll see," Rey said. She looked at Luke and yelled for him to move.

Large rocks and mountains of dirt poured from the sky, shooting straight to where Ben stood. Rey closed her eyes again, listening to the pouring sound of boulders falling and tumbling onto each other like an explosion. When the sound stopped, she drew in a shaky breath, and she looked up.

The pile of rocks and soil formed a mound where Ben had stood. Rey ran up to the stones and listened for a sound, a sign of him. But there was none. She reached her hand out, laying it on a boulder, and closed her eyes. She could feel Ben, his unconscious mind, and knew that he was unable to fight. Her eye caught Luke's.

"He's out cold, but he's alive," she said. "If we get him now, he should still be unconscious."

The old Jedi Master nodded. He reached out his shaky hand and levitated the stones away from the ground until they hovered high enough to see Ben.

There he was. Rey saw him, bloody and bruised, but laying on the ground. She couldn't believe he was still alive- she knew that the Force was the only thing that kept him from being crushed. After taking his lightsaber, she grabbed him by the shoulders to lift him up. Leia came running and took Kylo by the other shoulder. They moved the boy away and laid him on the grass, and Leia fell on her knees beside the boy.

"Leia," Rey said, getting on her level and putting her hand on her shoulder, "are you alright?"

Leia stroked the boy's black hair with her hands. She didn't respond, but let tears run down her face.

Rey sighed. She put her arm around the General's shoulder. "It's over now," she said. "Your son is home."

Luke's shadow fell over the two, and he dropped down onto his knee beside Leia. He grasped his sister's cold and shaking hand and let her lean her head on his shoulder. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stay tuned for the epilogue! :D


	10. STAVE V: The End of It (part 2/2)

***epilogue***

The sliding door opened to the prison hallway. Leia crept into the cold, dark tunnel passage, stepping over electric cords and pipes set into the ground.

"Ben," she called, "I have dinner for you."

She found his cell at the end of the hallway. The maximum security room sat behind two doors plus an extra layer of laser shields. Inside, on his bed, Ben leaned against the wall, the blue lasers casting a glow on his worn and bandaged face. When he saw his mother he crossed his arms.

"Leave me alone," he growled.

Leia sighed and dropped down onto her knees. She slid a tray under his door. "I made bantha stew with extra carrots."

Ben brought his eyes up to her. "You did?"

Leia nodded and stood up, watching her son.

"Ben," she said, her voice weak and soft as she spoke, "I want to let you know that I forgive you. And I'm sorry." She drew in a deep breath and looked into her son's dark eyes. "Your father and I thought we knew what was best for you, but we didn't. And we didn't give you the love and attention you needed."

Ben's gaze dug into the floor. He listened to his mother's words with a pang of guilt in his side, but he knew that he couldn't be won back. His family had already proved their loyalties.

To them, he thought, he was just a Republic prisoner. A pawn.

"I don't expect you to forgive me," Leia continued, and her mouth tensed. "I just want you to know that I'm here for you."

With that, Leia turned and walked halfway down the hall. Before she reached the door she realized she was holding something else. She walked back to Ben's cell and slid the package under the door, smiling at him.

"I promised you one more thing. Light Side cookies, made for you by Uncle Luke." Leia winked at her son. "Happy Life day, Ben."

Ben waited for his mother to leave, then picked up the paper sack from the floor and turned it over. A warmth emitted from the bag into his bare hand. When he turned the package upside-down, a cookie fell into his fingers. He lifted it to his mouth and took a bite. The cookie was warm and chewy, cooked with extra butter and seasoned with cinnamon. He chewed it slowly and let it melt in his mouth. It was his favorite kind of cookie, double chocolate chip. Ben scowled, remembering that the Dark Side cookies were only regular chocolate chip.

He turned up a corner of his mouth. Maybe the Light Side wasn't so bad after all.

\----------------------- 

In the grassy fields beyond the Resistance Base, Luke stood watching the Resistance ships take off. The evacuation was taking longer than expected, as this prisoner transfer was a difficult one to get correct. Security was tight. Everyone knew that if the First Order had any suspicions, they could arrive any minute without anyone knowing.

"You wanted to see me?" came a voice from behind Luke.

He turned around, keeping his hands clasped behind him. He studied the person who stood in front of him- Rey, the strange girl from nowhere. The Resistance's only hope. She stood with a coat around her shoulders, holding the two broken pieces of her staff. From the cloth wrapped around one end, Luke realized that she had been trying to fix the staff, but to no avail.

"I wanted to talk to you," he finally said. "Over the past couple of days, I learned a lot. Mostly about the Force, and the ways things work. Just small things can affect the future in big ways, and big things can alter history. I learned that today. And I learned that without hope, nothing can change."

Rey nodded and stood quietly.

"What I'm about to propose to you is the most important decision you'll ever make." Luke inhaled a slow breath. "Rey, will you let me teach you the ways of the Force?"

Rey blinked. She looked at him with wide eyes. "Seriously? You want to train me? To be a Jedi?"

His eyes crinkled and he shrugged. "You can think about it. But the Force is leading you somewhere, Rey. It's your decision now."

"Yes. Yes, of course I want to be trained," Rey said. "After today, I am ready."

Luke nodded, and Rey watched the tension fall from his eyes.

The old man took a few steps until he came face to face with the girl. He looked down, reached into his bag, and drew his hand out palm-up with his lightsaber, mirroring his and Rey's first meeting on Ahch-To.

"I want you to have this," he said, watching the girl's reaction.

Rey's expression stretched with surprise as her eyes met his. "What do you mean?"

He looked at her with dignity and lifted his chin slightly. "You will be the first in a new generation. You'll teach the next ones when I'm gone. This lightsaber was passed to me from my teacher, and now it's being passed down to you."

Rey's eyes lit up with joy and became slightly shiny with tears. She bowed her head solemnly. "Thank you, Master Skywalker," she whispered.

And the two set out toward the Resistance Base, the sunset casting a golden glow on their faces as they set out toward their new futures.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GUYS! Thank you so much for reading. You can find me at Faith the Writer on NaNoWriMo. Feel free to message me to talk about Star Wars or to just chat! I appreciate every one of you readers. <3 ^_^


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